wseaton
starting to shine!
Member since January 2024
Posts: 30
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Post by wseaton on Jan 6, 2024 14:26:29 GMT -5
This is the first 'high end' rock I've done in my Rebel 17. High end being, well, I had to pay for it - lol.
It's a little over 6" long, and was 'difficult' relative to large beach rocks I've been rolling for practice. Heck, granite was less difficult.
After a week and a half in 60/90 I was making little progress. Jasper is not supposed to be that difficult, right? This stuff has a weird feel. Like....hyper dense plastic. I then switched to #46 AO blasting grit, and then thinga started to move. After a week in #46 I had the shape I wanted. My goal is to preserve some shape and character in rocks and not totally round off every defect and angle. Two days in #500 was sufficient given the #46 left it smoother than anticipated and moved on to polish. This is 5 days in 1/4 ceramic, which I've found is the best polish medium in my 17. P Jasper also a stubborn polisher. I can probably get a bit better shine with more time, but I need the barrel for other things.
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jimmie
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2021
Posts: 233
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Post by jimmie on Jan 6, 2024 15:46:38 GMT -5
Great job!
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wseaton
starting to shine!
Member since January 2024
Posts: 30
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Post by wseaton on Jan 6, 2024 17:31:47 GMT -5
I'm heading to the Gem Shop in Wisconsin hopefully within the week - weather permitting. They have a lot of rough and crazy jaspers, agate varities etc.
Lets make this fun and if there are any requests I will pick some up and tumble it.
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dillonf
fully equipped rock polisher
Hounding and tumbling
Member since February 2022
Posts: 1,622
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Post by dillonf on Jan 6, 2024 20:20:28 GMT -5
I'm heading to the Gem Shop in Wisconsin hopefully within the week - weather permitting. They have a lot of rough and crazy jaspers, agate varities etc. Lets make this fun and if there are any requests I will pick some up and tumble it. I've always wondered if their Aqua Nueve (moss/nodular) agate was good for tumbling. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Jan 6, 2024 21:51:51 GMT -5
wseaton - Congrats!! I've worked Sci-Fi Jasper before (aka Porcelain Jasper - aka Exotica Jasper) - cabbing, not tumbling. Sometimes it takes a polish...and sometimes it doesn't. So...if your piece doesn't shine...it doesn't mean you did something wrong. If it does polish...WOOT WOOT!! 
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jimmie
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2021
Posts: 233
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Post by jimmie on Jan 7, 2024 6:37:43 GMT -5
I'm heading to the Gem Shop in Wisconsin hopefully within the week - weather permitting. They have a lot of rough and crazy jaspers, agate varities etc. Lets make this fun and if there are any requests I will pick some up and tumble it. I've always wondered if their Aqua Nueve (moss/nodular) agate was good for tumbling. I’ve tumbled lots and lots of Agua Nueva , it tumbles great. |
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wseaton
starting to shine!
Member since January 2024
Posts: 30
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Post by wseaton on Jan 7, 2024 8:35:03 GMT -5
I'll add some to my list. I'm hoping they have bigger pieces.
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Post by velodromed on Jan 7, 2024 10:25:01 GMT -5
I'm heading to the Gem Shop in Wisconsin hopefully within the week - weather permitting. They have a lot of rough and crazy jaspers, agate varities etc. Lets make this fun and if there are any requests I will pick some up and tumble it. I've always wondered if their Aqua Nueve (moss/nodular) agate was good for tumbling. I had gotten some of their Agua Nueva #3 a year or so back and it tumbled nicely. What I did with it…yeah. No clue lol |
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wseaton
starting to shine!
Member since January 2024
Posts: 30
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Post by wseaton on Jan 8, 2024 0:35:51 GMT -5
So, I made a day trip today to the place, and my god...rock hounders shangri-la. They literally have a yard full of 55gallon plastic drums over flowing with every type of agate and jasper known. Want some Kryptonian Jasper? They got it. Rough Lace agate's the size of basketballs. It was almost surreal. Oddly their volume of smaller stuff is less than their larger stuff. I also found Ohio flint, which is either impossible to find over stupidly over priced for dirt cheap. My focus is on pieces about the size of an orange or a bit bigger, and I had more of that sort though than possible with time. Got some tigers eye the size of a sandwich on thick bread. They called it 'B' grade, but it glowed like crazy. Their front end lapidary showroom had some of the best finished rocks and gems I've seen. Yeah, if anybody here is near Wisconsin you have to visit this place. Great staff as well. Picture shows part of my loot. That's a nickel for scale in the middle. Rocks in the lower right are Sarape jasper and are wild. Never seen that before. It's almost agate like in pattern, but it's jasper.  |
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